 Interstate 35 | |
|---|---|
 Interstate 35, with eastern and western forks. | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 1,569.06 mi[1] (2,525.16 km) |
| Existed | 1956–present |
| History | Completed in 1982[2] |
| NHS | Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |  US 83 inLaredo, TX |
| Major intersections |
|
| North end |  MN 61 inDuluth, MN |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Texas,Oklahoma,Kansas,Missouri,Iowa,Minnesota |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a majorInterstate Highway in the centralUnited States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches fromLaredo, Texas, near theMexican border toDuluth, Minnesota, atMinnesota State Highway 61 (MN 61, London Road) and 26th Avenue East.[3] The highway splits intoI-35E andI-35W in two separate places, theDallas–Fort Worth metroplex inTexas and at theMinnesota twin cities ofMinneapolis–Saint Paul.
At 1,568 miles (2,523 km), I-35 is the ninth-longest Interstate Highway followingI-94, and it is the third-longest north–south Interstate Highway, followingI-75 andI-95. Even though the route is generally considered to be aborder-to-border highway, this highway does not directly connect to either international border. I-35's southern terminus is thetraffic signal at Hidalgo Street in Laredo, Texas, just short of the Mexican border. Travelers going south can take one of two toll bridges across theRio Grande and the border, either straight ahead into theJuárez–Lincoln International Bridge, or viaBusiness Interstate 35-A (Bus. I-35-A) through downtown Laredo into theGateway to the Americas International Bridge. To the north, I-35 terminates in Duluth, Minnesota, with connections to Canada from the Interstate's terminus via MN 61 toGrand Portage, or north to the border atInternational Falls, Minnesota, viaU.S. Route 53 (US 53) in Duluth.
In addition to the Dallas–Fort Worth and Minneapolis–Saint Paul areas, the major cities that I-35 also connects to include (from south to north)San Antonio, Texas;Austin, Texas;Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;Wichita, Kansas;Kansas City, Missouri; andDes Moines, Iowa.
| mi | km | |
|---|---|---|
| TX | 503.96 | 811.05 |
| OK | 235.96 | 379.74 |
| KS | 235.53 | 379.05 |
| MO | 114.74 | 184.66 |
| IA | 219.23 | 352.82 |
| MN | 259.64 | 417.85 |
| Total | 1,569.06 | 2,525.16 |
I-35 northbound begins at a traffic-signaled intersection withBus. I-35-A inLaredo, Texas, just north of theRio Grande and the international border betweenMexico and the US. It has a 17-mile (27 km)concurrency withUS 83. ThroughWebb,La Salle, andFrio counties, it has a mostly north-northeastern course, turning more northeasterly aroundMoore.[4] It then cuts across the corners ofMedina andAtascosa counties before enteringBexar County andSan Antonio.
I-35 is named thePan Am Expressway in San Antonio. There, it has brief concurrencies withI-10 (with itUS 87) andI-410, and it serves as the northern terminus ofI-37. I-35 heads northeast out of the city toward the state capital,Austin.
In Austin, I-35 is the Interregional Highway and has a concurrency withUS 290 through Downtown Austin.[5] Throughout Austin, elevated express lanes were constructed on either side of the originalfreeway. Prior to this expansion, this section included anat-grade railroad crossing, which is extremely unusual for a freeway. From Austin, I-35 goes throughRound Rock,Temple,Pflugerville, andWaco. InBelton, south of Temple, it serves as the current eastern terminus forI-14. In Waco, I-35 is known as the Jack Kultgen Freeway, and begins its concurrency withUS 77. The campuses of both theUniversity of Texas at Austin andBaylor University are located adjacent to I-35.
I-35 then heads toHillsboro, where it splits intoI-35W andI-35E and runs through theDallas–Fort Worth area. The official milemarkers, along with the route of US 77, follow I-35E through Dallas—I-35W, which is 85 miles (137 km) in length, carries its own mileage from Hillsboro toDenton, as though it were an I-35 loop. In Dallas, I-35E is the R.L. Thornton Freeway south ofI-30, which picks up the name heading east. North of I-30, it is the Stemmons Freeway.
After passing through Dallas and Fort Worth, I-35's two forks rejoin each other in Denton near theUniversity of North Texas campus. The unified Interstate then continues north toGainesville before crossing theRed River into Oklahoma.
In Oklahoma, I-35 runs from the Red River at the Texas border to the Kansas state line nearBraman. It passes through or adjacent to many of the state's major cities. From south to north, these cities includeArdmore,Pauls Valley,Purcell,Norman,Moore,Oklahoma City, andEdmond. InDowntown Oklahoma City, I-35 has a major junction withI-40 and spurs intoI-235 through the north central inner city as heavy traffic follows through the city into the northern area of the state.
Between the Oklahoma state line andEmporia, I-35 is part of theKansas Turnpike. This section of Interstate servesWichita and passes through theFlint Hills area. At Emporia, I-35 branches off on its own alignment. This free section of I-35 provides access toOttawa before entering theKansas City Metropolitan Area, where it servesJohnson County andKansas City, Kansas.
Of note on the route, at several points between Cassoday and Emporia in the Flint Hills, dirt driveways that provide direct access without a ramp, for cattle trucks, may be found in either direction along the highway.
BETO Junction is a highway intersection inCoffey County, Kansas, that is the intersection ofUS 75 and I-35. It derives its name from the four major cities nearest the intersection:Burlington,Emporia,Topeka, andOttawa. It is located 16 miles (26 km) north of Burlington at exit 155. Historically, the intersection referred to as "BETO Junction" before I-35 was constructed was located on the old US 75 alignments two miles (3.2 km) south and two miles (3.2 km) east, nearWaverly, Kansas.
I-35 enters Missouri two miles (3.2 km) southwest of Kansas City'sCentral Business District as a six-lane highway. After merging withSouthwest Trafficway and Broadway, it becomes eight lanes and continues north to downtown Kansas City, where it serves as the west and north legs of thedowntown freeway loop. Along the north edge of the loop, I-35 joins withI-70 immediately west of Broadway and carries six lanes of traffic with a speed limit of 45 mph (72 km/h). Upon leaving the loop,I-29 begins, concurrent with I-35. The two Interstates cross theMissouri River together on theBond Bridge.
After crossing the river, I-29 and I-35 split. I-35 heads north toCameron, Missouri, and then continues northward to the Iowa state line.
In the southern sections of the state, I-35 is parallel toUS 69 for much of its course.
InDes Moines, I-35 has a 12-mile (19 km)overlap withI-80. The concurrency takes place northwest of the downtown district of the city. At exit 127 of I-80, the overlap turns east and terminates at exit 137 via an interchange withI-235.
North of Des Moines, I-35 is mainly parallel with US 69, traversing a vast and rural area of Iowa.[6]
I-35 is part of theAvenue of the Saints betweenClear Lake and St. Paul, Minnesota. A four-lane link has been completed between Clear Lake andI-380 inWaterloo,Iowa.
AtMedford,Minnesota, the on- and offramps lead toroundabouts rather than standard cross intersections.[7] This is the first site in the state linked to a major highway to use roundabouts.
I-35 splits again intoI-35W andI-35E in theMinneapolis–Saint Paul area. The mile- and exit-numbering sequence continues along I-35E. At one sharp turn in I-35W near the junction with I-94, drivers are advised to slow to 35 mph (56 km/h) (although many drivers are able to maintain the speed limit of 55 mph (89 km/h)). It is not possible to go from westbound I-94 to northbound I-35W, from southbound I-35W to eastbound I-94, and vice versa, without resorting to surface streets.
On I-35E in Minnesota betweenMN 5 andI-94, in both directions, trucks weighing more than 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) are banned from the freeway, and the speed limit drops to 45 mph (72 km/h). This section was not completed until the late 1980s (although the route was cleared and graded earlier) due to opposition from the historic Crocus Hill neighborhood, which sits only a few hundred feet from the alignment. The four-lane alignment, "parkway" design was a compromise. The truck bypass for this section is signed onI-494 andI-694 to the east of Saint Paul.
I-35 has aninterchange withI-535/US 53 inDuluth, Minnesota, known locally as the "Can of Worms". Thisjunction features a pair of left exits from I-35, a stoplight, and lane drops over the I-35 bridge.[8]
The national northern terminus of I-35 is at anintersection in eastern Duluth. Drivers' options include merging with London Road/MN 61 northbound, proceeding through the stop lights onto 26th Avenue East, or turning left onto London Road southbound.
Some portions of I-35 in Oklahoma City were already built in 1953, before the Interstate system was created.[9] ThroughNorman,Oklahoma, the Interstate opened in June 1959. InMoore, it opened in two parts: the northern half, connecting Moore to Oklahoma City, opened in January 1960. The southern half, linking it to Norman, was opened to traffic in June 1967.[10]
I-35 through Oklahoma largely parallelsUS 77. This is in large part due to efforts of the towns ofWynnewood,Paoli, andWayne, which fought to keep I-35 as close as possible to US 77. This was successful due to a threat from GovernorHenry Bellmon to build a toll road rather than I-35, and legislation preventing state funds for the Interstate from being spent if it were more than one mile (1.6 km) from the U.S. Route.[11]
I-35 was completed in Oklahoma in 1971, when parts of the Interstate running throughCarter Co. andMurray Co. were opened to traffic.[9]
The final segment of I-35 (as originally planned) to open was in north-centralIowa, betweenMason City andUS 20 nearIowa Falls. This segment was delayed due to some controversy. Originally, I-35 was to follow the alignment ofUS 69 fromDes Moines to theMinnesota border, but Mason City's business community lobbied for the route to be moved closer to their city. On September 1, 1965, the alignment was changed to instead parallelUS 65 through northern Iowa, which brought the highway much closer to Mason City. This created a long diagonal section throughWright andFranklin counties. Local farmers objected to their farms being bisected into triangular pieces, and resulting litigation delayed I-35 for several years. A November 1972 ruling rejected a lawsuit filed by the farmers, and the final segment of I-35 was allowed to proceed, eventually opening in 1975.
ThePaseo Bridge over theMissouri River in Kansas City, Missouri, was replaced by thedual-spancable-stayedChristopher S. Bond Bridge in December 2010.[12]
The proposedTrans-Texas Corridor toll-road project included one proposal (TTC-35) to primarily parallel I-35 from the Mexican border up to the Oklahoma border.[13] There are major disagreements as to what impact this parallel route would have on I-35 in terms of traffic, maintenance, and commerce.
The Trans-Texas Corridor was first proposed byTexasGovernorRick Perry in 2002. It consisted of a 1,200-foot (370 m) wide highway that also carried utilities such as electricity, petroleum, and water as well as railway track and fiberoptic cables.[14] In July 2007, US RepresentativeDuncan Hunter successfully offered an amendment to House Resolution 3074, the FY2008 Transportation Appropriations Act, prohibiting the use of federal funds forDepartment of Transportation participation in the activities of theSecurity and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). Hunter stated that: "Unfortunately, very little is known about the NAFTA Super Highway. This amendment will provide Congress the opportunity to exercise oversight of the highway, which remains a subject of question and uncertainty, and ensure that our safety and security will not be compromised in order to promote the business interests of our neighbors."[15] Fellow Republican Congressman and presidential candidateRon Paul brought the issue to mainstream prominence during the December 2007CNN–YouTube GOP debate, where he rejected the concept and also called it the NAFTA Superhighway after theNorth American Free Trade Agreement and, like Hunter, framed it within the ultimate goal of creating aNorth American Union.
In 2011, the Texas Legislature formally repealed its authority for the establishment and operation of the Trans-Texas Corridor with the passage of HB 1201.[16][17]
Source:[18]
US 83 inLaredo; the highways travel concurrently toBotines, approx. 18 miles (29 km) north.
I-69W /US 59 in Laredo
US 57 inMoore
I-410 inSan Antonio
I-10 /US 87 /US 90 in San Antonio. I-10/I-35/US 87 travels concurrently through Downtown San Antonio.
I-37 /US 281 in San AntonioI-410 on the San Antonio–Windcrest city line; concurrency for three miles (4.8 km).
US 290 inAustin; the highways travel concurrently through Austin.
US 183 in Austin
US 79 inRound Rock
I-14 /US 190 inCopperas Cove; US 190 travels concurrently toBelton.
US 77 inWaco; the highways travel concurrently to northeast ofHillsboro; follows route of I-35E afterward.
US 84 on the Waco–Bellmead city line
I-35E /I-35W north-northeast of HillsboroI-35E /I-35W inDenton
US 380 in DentonUS 77 in Denton; the highways travel concurrently to south ofThackerville, Oklahoma.
US 82 inGainesville
US 70 inArdmore; the highways travel concurrently through Ardmore.US 77 north ofSpringerUS 77 inDavisUS 77 inNorman; the highways travel concurrently toOklahoma City.
I-240 /US 62 in Oklahoma City; I-35/US 62 travels concurrently through Oklahoma City.
I-40 /I-235 /US 77 /US 270 in Oklahoma City; I-35/I-40/US 270 travels concurrently through Oklahoma City.
I-44 in Oklahoma City; the highways travel concurrently through Oklahoma City.US 77 inEdmond; the highways travel concurrently toGuthrie.US 77 inPerry
US 64 in Perry; the highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Perry.
US 64 /US 412 north-northwest of Perry
US 60 inTonkawa
US 177 north-northwest ofBraman
US 166 east-northeast ofSouth Haven
Kansas Turnpike southern terminus in ruralSumner County
US 160 east ofWellington
I-135 inWichita
US 54 /US 400 in WichitaUS 77 north ofEl Dorado
I-335 /Kansas Turnpike inEmporia
US 50 in EmporiaUS 50 east of Emporia; the highways travel concurrently toLenexa.
US 75 south-southeast ofOlivetUS 59 inOttawa; the highways travel concurrently to east-northeast of Ottawa.
US 56 inGardner; the highways travel concurrently toMerriam.
US 169 inOlathe; the highways travel concurrently to Merriam.
I-435 /US 50 in Lenexa
US 69 in Lenexa; the highways travel concurrently to Merriam.
I-635 /US 69 inMission; I-35/US 69 travels concurrently toKansas City.US 169 in Kansas City
I-670 inKansas City
I-70 /US 24 /US 40 /US 169 in Kansas City; the highways travel concurrently through Kansas City.
I-29 /I-70 /US 40 /US 71 in Kansas City; I-29/I-35/US 71 travels concurrently through Kansas City.US 69 in Kansas CityI-435 inClaycomoUS 69 inPleasant Valley; the highways travel concurrently toLiberty.US 69 south ofCameron
US 36 in CameronUS 69 southwest ofWinstonUS 69 north-northwest ofAltamont
US 136 inBethanyUS 69 on theIowa state line south ofLamoni
US 34 inOsceola
I-80 /I-235 inWest Des Moines; I-35/I-80 travels concurrently toAnkeny.
US 6 on theClive–Urbandale city lineUS 69 inDes MoinesI-80 /I-235 in Ankeny
US 30 southeast ofAmes
US 20 southeast ofBlairsburg
US 18 south-southeast ofClear Lake; the highways travel concurrently to Clear Lake.
US 65 southeast ofAlbert LeaUS 65 in Albert Lea
I-90 northeast of Albert Lea
US 14 /US 218 inOwatonnaI-35E /I-35W inBurnsville
Geographic data related toInterstate 35 atOpenStreetMap | ||
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 PrimaryInterstate Highways | |
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Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Major Interstates are highlighted. | |
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